Residents across Fall River may not like the news that pay-as-you-throw will become the norm for trash disposal, but a recent poll suggests their anger will subside and Mayor Will Flanagan will benefit from it.

Conducted by Public Policy Polling for Waste Zero, the company that will work with the city to implement the program, the poll surveyed 991 residents of communities with bag-based PAYT programs from the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Iowa.

In general the poll’s results found that users have a favorable view of the programs, with 52 percent responding highly favorable ratings and 27 percent giving it a somewhat favorable score. The survey also questioned ease of use, with 74 percent stating they thought the program was not difficult to use compared to 20 percent who were having a hard time. Additionally 68 percent feel PAYT is a “fair” way for communities to ask residents to pay for solid waste.

But one item within the survey will likely grab the attention of Flanagan and possibly City Councilors that are on the fence about the program more than any other finding. The survey asked respondents “Does having pay-as-you-throw in place make you more or less likely to vote for the officials who implemented it or does it not make a difference?”

While two Waste Zero employees that did a report on the survey for a waste management industry journal touted the result of the question as “Overwhelmingly, respondents showed that elected leaders do not face negative repercussions for bringing in PAYT,” the results aren’t really quite as certain.

While 24 percent responded that they’re more likey to re-elect those officials, 20 percent said they were less likely. The leading response came from those who answered that it doesn’t make a difference with 53 percent responding as such.

“The findings of this survey give them the flexibility to move more freely toward implementation, concentrating their planning and decision-making on important practical and operational concerns, such as when and how best to implement their pay-as-you-throw program,” the authors, again Waste Zero executives, conclude.

With more than a year until the next municipal election, we'll just have to wait and see if these results carry over to Fall River.

News and notes from the week.

— Just hours before R.I. Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the fiscal 2015 into effect on Thursday, state Rep. Dennis Canario, whose district includes portions of Tiverton and Portsmouth, announced he would seek re-election. With the signing of the budget, Chafee eliminated the Sakonnet River Bridge toll, an effort that Canario and other East Bay legislators have been working for since the toll went into effect almost a year ago.

"For too long the South Coast has been given empty promises by their representatives regarding this project. It is my hope that with the awarding of the $210 million contract, the final hurdle has been cleared and construction can begin," Chapman said in a statement.

— Fellow Republican candidate for the 9th district seat Mark Alliegro announced state Rep. Geoff Diehl endorsed his candidacy for office.

The Politi-Beat Sunday roundup is a complement to the Politi-Beat blog found at heraldnews.com and appears weekly in The Herald News.